Living a Lie, Starting a New Life
by srr13
Summary: AU: Her parents died in a crash, leaving her on her own. With nothing to live for, she's sent to Gallagher Academy to hopefully start over. She meets new people and reconnects with others from the past, making her life more twisted then she ever thought. Will she finally learn where she belongs or have to keep on living the lie that she has been forever?
1. The Beginning

**AN: Hey! So, I'm trying out a new story! This has nothing to do with spies, and it probably has one of the most dark and depressing beginnings that you will read. No, I haven't experienced any of what goes on in this story, I just always wonder what it would be like and this is the only was to actually see it. Review if you like, even if you don't. I just want some feedback!**

Chapter 1: The Beginning

It happened the night my parents died.

They were coming home from some work party, the usual, late at night. The truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and hit them head on. Mom died on impact but dad died on the way to the hospital. I didn't know until the next morning, when I realized that they hadn't come home the night before. Only when I turned on the news was when I found out the cold, hard truth.

Before the accident, my life was perfect. I had perfect grades, perfect house, perfect friends, and even a perfect family. Or so it seemed. The reality was that my family was just the opposite, and I hadn't figured it out sooner. It took an accident and losing both of my parents to realize it. Now, I was leaving the only life that I knew and going to a boarding school in Virginia. Gallagher or something like that. The life that I had been living was practically a fake, leaving me to pick up the pieces on my own. But the problem was, I didn't know how.

The movers came within a week to take everything into storage. I don't know why it would go to storage, they had no living relatives. Even if they did, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't know I existed. No one even came to see me after, my friends all cut off contact with me. It was painful to go to school, since all they talked was me and the accident. I just stopped showing up after a week. I'm pretty sure that they thought that I had committed suicide or something. Let them, they'll be better off with me not in their lives.

A couple of weeks later I got a call from our insurance company, leaving a message about the will my parents wrote. After meeting and reading it, I was given a week to pack my bags and leave for Gallagher, where I would be staying until I was at least legally an adult. The driver tried to make conversation on the way, but I just looked out the window and listened to music. I hadn't really talked since the accident and wasn't going to start now. They can try and get me to any counselor or therapist but I'm not gonna start talking any time soon.

I silently thanked the driver and grabbed my bags. It was mid semester in March and a lightly drizzle fell from the sky. Gloomy and depressing, just like my mood. They had given me a room assignment and my schedule ahead of time, so I didn't need to fill out any paperwork or even say that I've arrived at the headmaster's office or whatever they have here. Not that I would anyway. Sure, the old me would've, but I wasn't her anymore**.  
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It took me at least five minutes just to find my room, stuck in a corner in one of the old wings of the school. There was dust visible in the air and cobwebs in almost all corners of the ceiling. The door creaked as I opened it to reveal a small room only light by the window lain up high in the room. There were two beds flanking each wall both with a nightstand and dresser. The left side was strewn with clothes all over the floor and hanging out of drawers while the nightstand was covered in picture frames. Up close, you could see pictures of a family, a group of girls, and a group of guys. All of them looked attractive and reminded me of my old life. There was a pang in my stomach as I felt for the razor that sat at the bottom of my bag.

Cutting was a method of coping the came a few days after I stopped going to school. I felt worthless, and needed to feel something again, even if it was pain. The cuts up my arm were covered by wearing longsleeves and jackets. Luckily, no one noticed how I slowly stopped eating food, and how I'm lucky to get part of a meal down each day. I slowly dragged the razor along my wrist, making a long cut that oozed blood almost immediately. I made at least three or four more cuts trying to forget about my old life, until the pain took over my body.

Wrapping my arms in gauze is something that I have quickly become good at, to the point that people won't notice them at all. I slowly unpacked my clothes, ignoring the bell that signaled dinner. The school had mandatory uniforms, and I just got lucky that blazers were included as a part of it. Changing into the uniform the fabric slid easily over my stomach and didn't even touch it. Hell, you could practically count my ribs through my shirt. The blazer added another layer of thickness that made me look like I had a normal weight, that I was somewhat happy about.

Finally unpacked, I fell back onto my newly made bed and let my eyes bore into the ceiling, something that I do often now. This time, I let my mind roam to what my old life was like. Parties every weekend, sports events to attend, and dances to let loose at. I had it all, and my parents didn't bat an eyelash at whatever I did. I used to think that we had the perfect relationship but thinking back on it, we had no relationship at all. They would always be at work and never home, while I, unintentionally, would avoid being home at all costs. I couldn't remember the last decent conversation that I had with them. If it wasn't involving business or money, the house was silent. I hated it without realizing, I had never even thought about it. Sure, I guess that my parents loved me to some degree, but I knew that we would never actually be a real family.


	2. Trapped

**Chapter 2: Trapped  
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**AN: Hi! I got bored today and felt antsy to write a new chapter so... here you go! I've already gotten positive feedback on the story which is good. I know, this story is really sad right now and probably will be for a couple of chapters. DO NOT LOSE FAITH IN IT! It will get happy-ish but the mood will be darker then normal so be prepared. Now without further ado, the next chapter.**

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It wasn't until after dinner that I heard voices outside of the room. They were laughing and listening to their footsteps, they were stumbling as well. Not knowing what to do, I pulled out my Ipod and started blasting music, resuming the previous position that I was in before. A minute or so later, the door opened with a bang and a girl let out a few swear words with a british accent. I pretended not to notice and continued staring at the ceiling, tracing patterns with my eyes. The group slowly entered the room and attempted not to notice me. I didn't really care anyway, since everyone from my old life shut me out not even caring about what I thought.

It was a couple of minutes until one of the girls came over to me, cleared her throat, and poked me on the shoulder. My eyes rolling, I removed my headphones and looked at the girl, waiting for her to speak.

"Who are you?" She asked, flipping her black hair over one shoulder. "We've never seen you around here and it's starting to creep the shit out of us that you're just suddenly here in a uniform."

"I'm the new roommate, can't you tell?" I sat up with a smirk on my face. "No need to be creeped out, I'll just stay out of your way if that's what you guys want."

The smallest of the girls stepped forward and spoke quietly. "Sorry about Macey, she can be a little bit straightforward. I'm Liz by the way, and that's Bex." She pointed at the girl sitting on the bed with a smug look on her face. "She's your roommate."  
"And what are you guys? Her entourage?" I responded.

"At least I have friends, you can easily be a nobody here. What's your story? The friendless loser at her old school so depressed that her parents made her transfer to here?" Bex responded leaning back on her bed.

Even though she almost said it as a joke, it hurt me to a new extent that I didn't think was possible. "You don't know anything about me." I said grimly and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind me.

Just the mention or thinking about my old life triggered something deep inside of me that made me want to rip someone's head off, or just break down in tears. The strange thing was, I hadn't cried since the accident. There would be a day, I knew, that everything would come out but it just hasn't happened yet.  
Wandering around aimlessly for hours was probably a stupid decision for many reasons:

1. You can get really hungry with nothing to do

2. You get tired

3. People give you weird looks

4. Whispers go around about 'the new girl'

5. It makes you want to scream

6. It makes you want to cry

7. You get lost

8. When you don't know anyone, you don't know what to do

9. You think about your life

10. You realize how messed up your life really is

I've been here for less then a day and already hate it. No one would talk to me and if someone was looking at me, it was just so see what the new freak girl was doing here. I wanted to run away from it all, I wanted nothing more then to leave everything behind. I wanted to die. No one would miss me if I was gone, no one even knew my name. It was as if I was invisible to everyone and everything around me. It was all building up inside of me to the point where it was going to burst soon. With nowhere to turn, I had to go straight to the end.

This wasn't my first time thinking about suicide. After leaving school, at was as if no one would care if I was gone. I was just like one of those ants you squish when walking down the sidewalk without a second glance back at it. I was just like that, insignificant to no one. I had a bottle of painkillers hidden in one of my drawers, just begging to be opened. To take away all of the pain that was inside of me, set me free from my personal hell. I could be with my parents again, and try to fix our relationship up in heaven.

I wasn't planning on doing it right away, that would create too much attention. If I waited for a few weeks until my arrival died down then did it then, barely anyone would notice. I could try to enjoy my final weeks, but anything enjoyable and happy has been sucked out of me since my parents deaths. I haven't felt alive in months. I feel more like the living dead then a human right now. Soon, I would be the dead girl that no one cared about, not that I really cared anyway. The was no way that anyone could stop me with my decision, I don't need any help at all. Any help that I need would've been great a long time ago but I was forgotten about. It was as if I died at the same time that my parents did.

Sure, there's a lot of stuff to live for. I'm only sixteen, why am I throwing my life away? I have nothing, no family, no friends, no one to guide me in life. Every day is like a new form of torture, trying to stay alive is a day by day struggle. No one could save me, I was falling deeper every day, not able to climb back out. Soon, the darkness would envelop me whole. It's almost as if I was anticipating that day, ready for it to come.

Somewhere deep down inside of me, I knew that I needed help. I was just too stubborn to admit it to myself. Sure, my life was good before but it was too perfect, like it was set up to fall apart at any point. I did, and I went from feeling on top to hitting rock bottom. Most people have nowhere to go but up, that wasn't me. It was as if I was stuck under a boulder. Trapped forever. Nowhere to go.

I didn't realize I was crying until the tears hit the floor in front of me. At that point, I did the only thing that I could think of, I ran.

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**Okay, so two chapters within a day, I'm proud of myself. Review on the way out! Thanks!**


	3. Making Friends?

**Chapter 3: Making Friends?**

**AN: Okay, so I thought that I was gonna be updating a lot quicker then I actually am, apparently not. I've been caught up with school and flipping out about finals coming up that I just realized, I needed to update! Thanks for the reviews, I'm gonna keep this short since a majority of people won't read this. Apples.**

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The rain had picked up to almost a downpour when I shoved open the front doors and kept on running across the grounds. Nothing was running through my head as I heard my feet crunching the wheat-like grass. The tears running down my face mixed with the rain that pelted it too. The mud started to kick up behind me as I ran closer to the tree line, hoping to get lost in it. I was slowly turning into a chameleon, only allowing myself to be seen when I wanted to. That's partially why I didn't want to come to Gallagher, everyone knows when a new person comes. They want to know her backstory, why she came, and especially why she's so weird.

I didn't hear the person yelling behind me, nor did I care. Back at my old school (more like my old life) I was one of those goody two shoes kids who followed the rules; but that was the norm, what everyone was like. I could hear their footfalls behind me, trying to catch up. I was going too fast when I didn't see the roots from the trees sticking out of the ground. Looking back at it, I don't know if I screamed when my foot caught the branch and I tumbled down against the hard ground. The woodchips and twigs made small cuts wherever there was an open patch of skin. I've felt pain from my cutting, but somehow that couldn't compare to the burning sensation travelling over my body. It was after a few minutes of laying face-down on the ground that I felt two hands lightly pushing me on the back, trying to get my attention. I closed my eyes and stayed put, hoping that the whoever it was would just go away and forget that I was ever here. I was wrong. The person slid one of their hands underneath me and with the other on the small of my back, and slowly and gently rolled me onto my back.

"Can you hear me?" They asked frantically, their voice deep to make me believe that they were a guy. "Are you all right?"

I slowly opened up my eyes as I felt the mystery man push the hair off of my face. "Just peachy." I croaked out.

The guy sat back for a second a laughed, allowing me to take a decent look at him. His hair was short, black, and messed up, accentuating his strong face shape. His broad shoulders and lean stomach made me believed that he was muscled yet toned, shaped from hours working out at the guy. "Sarcastic, I like it."

I tried to sit up, but a massive jolt of pain shot up my back. I winced and looked down at my body, nothing seemed major other then the small cuts everywhere, bruises, and what was most likely to be a sprained ankle.

"You took quite the spill there, might have thrown out your back on the way down." The boy bent back over next to me, his eyes filled with concerned. "On a scale of one to ten, how much does it hurt?"

I gritted my teeth to try to reside the pain, but no avail. "Eleven."

"Definitely thrown out, it's gonna hurt like hell for a couple of days then should get better. You should probably get off of the ground, though."

"I would if I could." I replied, trying not to get lost in his emerald green eyes. I haven't even been here for a day and I've been picked on, injured, and found by an extremely attractive guy.

"Need some help?" He asked curiously.

"No." I snapped. I knew that he meant just help me back off the ground, but underneath I believed that he wanted to help me with how fucked up I am.

"Oh well, I'm not taking no as an answer." He somehow slipped his arms underneath me and lifted me up bridal style off the ground. Let's just say that those were the best arms I've ever been held in, and the most firm chest I've been pressed against too. His bulging biceps made me feel like a feather when he lifted me up. "Jesus, you're light." He muttered.

Just when I thought that he was going to put me down, he proceeded to carry me out of the woods and in another direction away then the main building.

"You know I can walk, right?" I asked, trying to shield my face from the rain.

"You're gonna run away if I put you down, I know your type." He responded cooly, curling me closer to his body giving me a makeshift cover from the downpour.

"Oh really? And what's my type?"

"Don't let anyone in, make it seem like everything's perfect on the outside. But underneath the surface you're practically dying."

Shit, he's known me for a matter of minutes and already has me figured out. Was I showing it on my face so openly, like everyone's reading me like an open book.

Before I could respond, we had approached what looked like a run down barn and he kicked the door open. The inside was dimly light with mats, heavy bags, and weights pushed up against the walls. He set me down gently on one of the folded up mats then sat down next to me.

"You gonna tell me why your arms are wrapped and bleeding?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I looked down and tugged on my jacket sleeves, making sure that they were covering my whole arms.

"Don't bullshit me. I saw them when you fell." He grasped my arm and lifted up the sleeve, revealing the white gauze slowly turning red from the blood oozing underneath. "I'm sure as hell that you didn't wrap your arms before I got to you, since you could barely even more."

"Why should I tell you? I don't even know your name." I said defensively and yanked my arm out of his grip, cradling it to my chest.

"Zach, Zach Goode." He held out his hand, wanting me to shake it, but slowly put it down when he realized I wasn't going to. "And you're new here, trying to act like a badass or something you're not; I can tell."

"You don't know anything about me, how do I know that you're not gonna leave me here and tell the whole school all of the shit I've been through." I crossed my arms and leaned away from him.

"So there is a back story there. You can trust me...?" He looked at me for my name.

"Cammie."

"Cammie." The way it rolled off of his tongue made me want to close my eyes and savor it. God, what's wrong with me? He's probably just using me. "You know no one but me here, all I'm offering is a good listener, a friend, a shoulder to cry on, some arms you need to be held in, anything."

"You won't believe me if I told you." I mumbled, picking some of the dried mud off of my skirt.  
"Try me." Zach said, a challenging yet caring gaze filling his eyes.

"My parents were killed in a car crash, my friends left me to fend for myself, I have no family, I'm a cutter, I barely eat, and no one seems to give a shit if I'm here or I'm dead. Even my roommate hates me already, they don't know me. It's like my life is completely crumbling in front of me and I can't stop it. My life had been perfect, almost like one of those fake tv families and lives that everyone wants. That was me. It was almost like I was living one huge lie, my friends actually hated me, my parents didn't know what to do with me, and I was oblivious to all of it. I couldn't show my face at school, it was too embarrassing. I would just sit in my room, cutting. The physical pain made the shit going on in my head disappear for a while, I wasn't hungry and everything tasted like mush, so I stopped eating. I guess that I'm depressed then. My parents should've sent me to a mental institution, not this boarding school where everyone's from their rich parents who love them and friends that actually care about them. I don't belong here, I don't belong anywhere." The tears were coming in fat drops now, falling onto my skirt with plops. I couldn't look at Zach, nor was he responding.

"How long has this been going on?" Zach asked after a long time.

"About two months." I said quietly.

Wordlessly, Zach lifted up my sleeve again and unwrapped the gauze, discarding it off to the side. There were ugly red gashes still trickling blood out. The rest of my forearm was covered in scars from previous cuts, some a bright pink, others a thin and faded white. I had lost count of how many there were, it looked like a bunch of scribbles on a piece of paper.

"How could you not let anyone help you? There's gotta be someone that tried." Zach insisted, but I shook my head.

"Not until right now, it's all been bottled up inside of me. That's why I told you so easily. I used to never tell anyone anything. Shutting people out is easier then telling them, less drama, not having to worry about what they're gonna do."  
"Cam," Zach had already given me a nickname, like he's known me forever. "it's never good to shut people out. It will build up until you explode. Talking about it is good."

"If it's so good to talk about stuff, then why haven't you left already and spilled my deepest secrets to the whole school yet?" I challenged him.

"I wouldn't be able to do that to you. Even if we just met, there's something different about you."

"Yeah, when you meet a person as fucked up as me, they're different."

"You're not fucked up, all you need is someone who will listen." Zach scooted closer and moved the hair away from my face, allowing him to see my profile.

I turned my head and locked my eyes with his protruding gaze; it felt almost like he was staring into my soul. "Is that what you are?" I asked quietly, trying to break the moment.

"Yes, yes I am." He answered just as quietly.

The crack of thunder took us away from our locked gazes, and the rain that was hammering down on the barn had become a complete downpour.

"How far are we away from the main building?" I asked.

"A good five to ten minutes away, closer to ten in this weather."

"Seriously?" It didn't seem like it, I must have been sprinting like hell earlier then.

"Yeah. The boys dorms are closer though, if you wanna camp out there until this lets up."

Me. And Zach. In a dorm room. Probably alone. As intriguing as it sounded, that's not how I wanted to start here.

"I'm fine here." I responded, tugging my jacket tighter around me. The clothes that were clinging to me were starting to make me shiver, hopefully going unnoticed. Just my luck though, Zach noticed immediately

"You've gotta stop lying, you're not good at it." Zach stood up and offered me his hand. "It'll be just for a little while, and I promise that nothing will happen."

"I'm not lying, I'm fine right here."

He smirked and wiggled his fingers. "You're gonna freeze in a few minutes out here. I'm asking nicely before I throw you over my shoulder."

"You really don't take no for an answer, do you?" I took his hand and let him pull me up.

"Not in my vocabulary." Zach swept me back up into his arms and out in the rain.

"I have legs for a reason." I yelled over the rain.

"You've got a hurt back, remember? Besides, you'd be way too slow on foot." He picked up his pace until we were under an awning protecting us from the rain. It was only when I looked up at his face when I saw his staring back down at me, locking me into another soul searching gaze.

"Hopefully I'll warm up soon then." I whispered, this time not wanting to break the moment.

Zach smirked again. "If you need any help, I run a 98.9 everyday."

I laughed lightly. "I might need to take you up on that soon." He lead us down the hall until we were in front of his door. I hopped down cautiously and got my footing, leaning against the wall. He opened the door to show a room much like mine, only messier and with pictures everywhere. "Cute." Was all I said.

He lead me to sit on the bed as he rummaged through his drawers until he pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, throwing them at me. "Put those on, they should warm you up." He grabbed a pair of sweats and went in the bathroom. Once the door was closed, I stripped off the soggy clothing and put his clothes on, readjusting them 'till it felt like I wasn't drowning in them too much. It felt good, having him give me his clothes and take care of me, like Zach wanted to protect me. For once in the past few months, I didn't feel so alone. Since he wasn't out of the bathroom yet, I looked at the pictures he had put on the walls.

They were all of him and friends, who were equally attractive, with their arms around each other, smiling or doing other things that a normal teenager would do. It seemed weird, that just a few hours ago I felt so lost and alone, and now I felt safe and protected and hell, maybe even happy just from meeting Zach. Maybe when I hit rock bottom, Zach was the rope helping me back into the sunlight.

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**I made that chapter over 2,000 words just for you guys, hope you enjoy! Maybe this weekend I can find some time to write something, but that's highly unlikely. I have another story in the Hunger Games category but I'm just stuck on it and can relate to this one more somehow. Review on your way out, it helps inspire me to write more hearing your feedback. Until next time,**

**Stay Classy**


	4. Trials and Tribulations

**Chapter 4: Trials and Tribulations**

**AN: I didn't feel like studying on so I thought, "What the hell? Why not write another chapter?" So that's what I'm doing. As always, I enjoy reading the reviews, but I only wish that some people took the five seconds it takes to write a review and give me the momentum to write another chapter. And again, I haven't been updating my Hunger games story 'cause I just don't know what to do with it... TO THE STORY!**

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It wasn't until after five minutes of staring at Zach's ceiling that he came out in sweats and running a towel through his hair. Did I mention he was shirtless? He had those abs that every girl dreamed of seeing in person, not on a movie screen.

"Oh shit Cammie... I..." Zach stuttered and threw his towel on the floor.

"It's okay, everyone forgets about me." I shrugged and held back tears threatening to spill over.

Zach sat down on the bed next to me and threw an arm over my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. "If you let me finish, I'm sorry it took so long. It takes me about two seconds to shower, I just couldn't find where Grant put this." He reached into the pocket of his sweats and pulled out a tube of icy hot. "I thought a legendary Zach Goode back massage would help."

"It's all right, I think some ice and a good nap will help." I tried to argue, but he wouldn't listen.

"How many times is it gonna take to understand that I'm not gonna take no as an answer?" He gently pushed me down on my stomach and adjusted the pillow under my head so I was looking at him. Once I was situated, he grabbed a chair, pulled up my sweatshirt, and started to work the knots out of my back. "And I would never forget about you, Cam."

I closed my eyes for a few minutes, trying to erase the pain in my back and allow it to be pleasant instead. Zach's hands were doing wonders, slowly easing the knots out one by one. I opened my eyes to see Zach's eyes looking into mine, almost like they had been even while they were closed.

"When was the last time you ate?" He asked quietly.

"Friday night, I think." It was Monday now, I wasn't even hungry. "Why?"

"'Cause I can see your spine sticking straight out of your back." The trailed his fingers lightly over my spine as he said it, causing shivers to go up and down my back. "You need to eat more." He said quietly.

I said up abruptly and yanked his sweatshirt I was wearing down, causing more pain to shoot through my back. "Um, I think I should get going. It's getting late." I got up and headed toward the door, but Zach was faster.

"It's like I can't do anything right with you. The last thing I want you to think it that I'm gonna judge me, but yes, it's unsafe not to eat. Even if I just met you, I care about you Cam. I'm not gonna leave you alone, I'm gonna be there for you." He put his hands on either side of my face and wiped my tears I didn't know were coming out of my eyes. "Please stop crying though, it's breaking, heart." He pulled me to his chest, leading us back over to the bed. Somehow, he managed to lay us down sideways and kept me in his arms, running his hands over my hair and back, murmuring comforting words. "It's not even that late, and you can stay as long as you want." He yawned and pulled me in tighter.

I stayed put for at least ten more minutes before I tried to pull away, but Zach's grip was like iron. I looked up at his face to see him sleeping, his mouth set in a hard line. "Zach." I said, shaking him slightly. "Zach." I repeated louder.

"Mmmmm," Me grumbled. "Five more minutes mom."

I laughed lightly. "I'm not your mom, Zach."

HIs eyes shot open and widened when he saw me in his arms. "How long was I asleep for?"

"Only ten minutes, it's no big deal."

"When a girl was crying out her eyes out on your chest, it's a big deal. You've gotta stop playing yourself off like you're nothing." His gaze was locked with mine again, giving me goosebumps.

I looked down, avoiding his gaze, to realize that he hadn't put a shirt on yet.

"Like what you see?" He smirked again and laughed, making his abs flex against my stomach.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't" I tried to get out of his arms again, but he only pulled me in tighter and cupped the back of my neck so I had to look into his eyes.

"Are you gonna be okay?" He asked gently, his gaze softening.

"I think so, thanks for everything." I closed my eyes when he started kneading my neck. I could feel his eyelashes brushing against mine in our close proximities. "What do you want me to do with your clothes?"

"Keep them, I've got a feeling that it won't be the last time you're gonna be taking my clothes." He smirked again when I opened my eyes again.

"We'll see about that." He pulled us into a sitting position and grabbed his phone off of his nightstand. "Put your number in, just in case." He smiled slightly and handed it over to me, watching what I was typing. "Morgan, huh? Cammie Morgan. That's got a nice ring to it."

I handed the phone back to him and stood up ready to leave when he grabbed my hand. "This is gonna sound completely cheesy but, can you take a picture with me? My background is old and I need a new one and I since you're here I was just thinking that maybe..."

"Sure." I cut off his rambling and watched him come over to me and wrap his arm firmly around my waist, effectively pulling me to his chest. "You better send me this by the way." I mumbled while smiling.

He snapped the picture and showed it to me. I looked happy for once. "It's good to see you smile, now I have a permanent memory of it." He wrapped his arms around me one last time and kissed my forehead. "I'll text you tonight." He said against my forehead.

"Sounds like a date, Goode." I copied his smirked and walked with him to the door. "Too bad it's not gonna be one."

He opened the door and let me out, then shouted after me, "Not yet Cam, but someday it will be."

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Bex was sitting on her bed alone when I came back into the room.

"What, no minions?" I asked sarcastically, faceplanting onto the bed.

"No, they went to dinner and left. We didn't see you there." She answered softly. "I want to apologize about earlier, it feels like we got off on the wrong foot. I'm actually not that much of a bitch as you think."

"Sure as hell seems like it." I mumbled into my pillow.

"I know, Macey can get me pissed off sometimes and I end up taking it out on someone else. I just didn't expect you to react like that."

"Well after finding out your parents are dead and your so called friends leaving you to fend for yourself, reactions can most likely not be positive." I turned my head just in time to see her eyes just about pop out of their sockets.

"I'm... I'm so sorry. I had no idea. God, now I feel like shit now. I can't believe that I out you through that."

"It's fine, you didn't know. But don't tell your little posse about this, I really don't wanna be the school sob story, or the school freak."

She smiled lightly. "Your secret's safe with me."

We sat in silence for a few minutes before she asked. "By the way, why are you wearing that?" She pointed to my clothes, which were technically Zach's.

"Um, I kinda ran out of the school after your comment, go soaked, fell, threw out my back, and Zach took me back to his dorm room and took care of me."

She cocked an eyebrow. "This must be one hell of a first day for you."

"You have no idea." We both laughed slightly, then I asked. "By the way, do we have any ice packs?"

"I know we don't, sorry. But my friend Grant does, if you want me to ask him for some it's no biggy, he does it all the time for me."

"If you don't mind, that would be helpful."

She smiled again. "Anything to help you out."

She mad the phone call and got into a small conversation with him, which gave me a chance to check my phone. I had 4 new messages: 3 from an unknown (which I later found out was Zach) and one from my old friend, Josh. What the hell?

Why had Josh texted me? None of my friends made any attempts to have any contact with me after the accident, even when I called or texted them. Deciding not to check that one first, I looked at Zach's. The first one was the picture he took of us two. He was holding me against him, and my hand was subconsciously on his chest. The next one said: Did you get back all right? Do you need anything? The last one read: Cam, you're making me nervous, are you okay?

I shot back a quick reply while Bex was hanging up: I'm fine, don't worry. My roommate's friend is bringing me some ice for my back.

I could imagine him sitting on his bed, just staring at his phone waiting for a reply, for some reason it made me smile. Bex hung up on her friend then turned to me.

"I hope you like Chinese food, 'cause he's bringing some, oh and his roommate it coming too. Is that fine?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me."

"Now then, you might get somewhat upset by this but, if I was you I would stay away from Zach."

I sat up, much to my back's protests. "Why?"

"He seems sweet and all, he's one of my best friends for christ's sake. Be friends with him, that's it. He's a player, I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

"Thanks for the advice, and I'm not really mentally ready to get involved with anyone right now."

"Okay." She said before adding. "He's bringing his roommate by the way, they almost always travel together, it's some sort of weird guy thing."

"And they think girls are weird." We both laughed then her phone started ringing again.

"I've gotta take this." She walked out of the room leaving me alone with a text from Josh. I finally got the courage to read it, but all it said was CALL ME.

Against my better judgment, I did what he asked.

"I didn't think that you were gonna actually do it, Cam." He picked up after the first ring.

"I don't like to ditch people, Josh. Don't call me Cam."

"Why? It's your name." He urged.

"My name is Cameron, only my friends call me Cam."

"So now I'm not your friend? That's low."

"Last time I checked, friends don't ditch friends as soon as their parents die."

"I know, I've been thinking about that. I'm sor-"

"Too late for that. Just tell me what you wanted to, I've gotta go soon."

"I wanted to see you," My jaw dropped to the floor. "I miss you Cam."

"Cameron." I growled.

"Your house was empty, can we meet somewhere in town?" He ignored me and charged on. "Grab a bite to eat or something, I can pay."

"You made it pretty clear that you wanted nothing to do with me a few months ago, and I'm not crawling back to you."

"I'm taking that as a no then." Josh's voice sounded sad.

I sighed. "Josh, I'm at Gallagher now, I left. I just wanna leave my problems in the past, including you."

"So you want nothing to do with me?" He asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't deal with this right now." I could hear Bex talking so someone in the hall, I had to wrap up this call. "I've gotta go."

"This won't be the last time you'll hear from me, I will win you back Cam. I promise." With that, he hung up.

I laid back down on my stomach and tried to clear my head, and fight back the tears that always seemed ready to spill.

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**Okay, so that chapter was a little bit all over the place, but it'll all be straightened out soon. Anyway, I've gotta get back to studying. Maybe, just maybe, I'll update soon but this week's hell week for me so no promises! Review on the way out, it takes two seconds! Until next time,**

**Stay Classy**


	5. What Happens with Chinese Food

**Chapter 5: What Happens with Chinese Food**

**AN: Okay, so the story is starting to get more reviews which I'm ecstatic about. Also, I really don't have that high of an education when it comes to writing, I'm only a freshman in high school! I just know how to write and use words that can substitute for mediocre words. Anyway, do you guys like the 2k+ per chapter? Or do you just want 1k per chapter for hopefully quicker updates but shorter increments of the story? Either way is fine with me, so I'm putting the power once again into my lovely reviewers hands. Anyway, to the story!**

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I had only been laying on my bed for a half a minute when Bex came in with her friends and a bag of chinese food that filled with a mouthwatering aroma.

"I come bearing presents, and I don't mean the boys." She said, an obvious smirk on her face that I didn't have to turn away from the wall to see.

I felt my bed dip and someone whispered into my ear, "You know, we shouldn't keep on meeting like this. You laying there like the damsel in distress and me the hero of the story. I mean, it sounds great and all but not for you." I turned my head to see Zach staring at me, a smirk filling his gorgeous face. "I didn't know you were Rebecca's roommate."

"Bex." She snapped.

"Well, no one knew 'cause I just came here. Can you pass me the ice?" I asked, putting my hand out impatiently.

"About that, Cammie." The guy helping Bex out with the food, who looked like Brad Pitt's stunt double by the way, said. "We were out of it as well, but we brought you some icy hot if you want any."

Zach took the tube and wiggled in front of my face. I tried to grab it, but he shook his head and put it out of my reach. "You're gonna have to work for that, honey."

"First of all, don't ever call me honey again and second, what the hell are you gonna make me do?" I said looking over at Grant and Bex, who were still engrossed in conversation.

"I was gonna say just the standard hello hug and kiss, but maybe you've made me up the ante." Zach smirked at me again.  
I sat up and then said. "I can do the hug, but I'll go to hell before I give you a kiss."

He whistled then pulled me against his chest. "So little miss morgan likes to play hard to get huh?"

"Not really, but the thought of kissing you is revolting." I mumbled into his shirt.

"For future reference," He whispered in my ear. "I don't kiss and tell."

Bex cleared her throat, which made Zach push me off of him and off the bed too, unfortunately landing me on my back.

"Nice going Goode," Bex said, squatting next to me. "You okay?" She asked.

"Just get me the goddamn icy hot already." I said through gritted teeth. I made my way, painfully, back up onto the bed and Zach opened the tube so squeeze some onto his hands, but I snatched it away. "I don't need your help, Zach. I just wanna get through an hour here without hurting myself."

I squirted a little bit into my hands and worked it onto my back and turned to see Grant looking at me. "I don't think we've formally met." He stuck out his hand to me. "Grant Newman."

"Cammie Morgan," I shook his hand. "Sorry about the icy hot, I probably got it all over your hand."

He laughed and wiped it on his jeans. "We've got Egg Rolls for Bex, Kung Pao for Zach, I got Stir Fry, and we got you Sweet 'n' Sour chicken, is that fine?"

"That's cool." I scooted back against to what I thought was the wall, but ended up being my pillow propped against it. I turned to see Zach adjusting it.

"It's the least I can do, sorry about throwing you off by the way." He said quietly, not wanting to be overheard by Bex and Grant. "I want you to eat all of this, you need to." He handed me my takeout box filled with food and a pair of chopsticks.

"I have a confession." I stated. "I don't know how to use chopsticks."

The three of them looked at me like I had just killed someone then burst out laughing.

"Seriously? You've never used them?" Bex asked in between laughs.

I chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I used to be a huge Italian fan before my parents..." I trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"Before your parents what, Cammie?" Grant asked softly, noticing the laughing stop and not wanting to disturb the calm silence that covered the room like a blanket.

"Just drop it, Grant." Bex whispered harshly. "Can't you tell she doesn't wanna talk about it?"

"Sorry." He mumbled before stuffing his face with stir fry.

I fiddled around with the chopsticks and moved around the food, trying to make it look like I ate some of it.

I was shocked when I felt Zach's hand slip behind my neck and slowly knead there, in a ditch effort to relax me. "I know it's hard, if you need to talk we can always take a walk. But I still want you to eat something, not all of it if you can't Cam." He whispered.

"Do you have a fork?"

He removed his hand from behind my neck and covered his hand with mine, showing me how to move and hold my chopsticks. He even helped me grab a piece and put it in my mouth. I chewed slowly and swallowed, trying to avoid the forming lump in my throat from all of the crying. "How's it taste?" Zach asked,

"Like nothing." I said, staring at the ground.

He jumped up and put our takeout on the bedside table. Grabbing my hand, he turned to Bex and Grant and said, "We'll be right back."

Zach towed me out into the hall and shut the door, then placed his hands on either side of my head on the wall, boxing me in. "Something's up. I know Grant's comment rattled you and all but, there's something underneath that too."

I looked at the floor again, not wanting to meet his penetrating gaze. "My friend called today," I started, then felt him tense and move closer. "he wants to see me Zach, saying he misses me and all and is sorry for what he did."

Zach edged even closer, to the point where all of our lower halves were against each other. "Did you agree to it?" He asked, his voice obviously pissed. "What did you say?"

"I want him out of my life, I don't wanna see him nor can I. But he left saying that he's gonna keep on trying."

"Hey," He said softly, lifting my chin. "Don't worry about it. If he does anything, he's gonna have to go through me."

"Yeah, the guy I've know for 2 hours is gonna protect me from the guy who I grew up with and probably has a bunch of shit he can use against me."

"Wow, it's been two hours already?"

I laughed, making tears slip out of my eyes. "You ass."

"It's gonna be okay, you can talk to me whenever you need to. Hell, pull me out of class if it's that urgent. From now on, I promise to be your go to guy. Or girl. You know what I mean." Zach put his hands on either side of my face and wiped the tears away.

"You're a dick sometimes, but you're one of the sweetest people I've ever met Zach Goode."

He wrapped his muscular arms around me, pulling me tightly against him as the tears began to fall again. "And I'm glad to have met you, Cammie Morgan."

We stood there for a couple of minutes, my face hidden in his chest and his cheek resting on my hair. "Bex and Grant are gonna suspect something soon." I said, trying to pull away, but he only held me closer and tighter.

"I don't think they mind, it's probably giving them a chance to make out or something."

"They're dating?"

"Yup."

"How come they didn't mention it or anything?"

"They're not really like that, pretty chill couple actually."

I was suddenly curious, and blurted out, "Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend then?" without thinking. I slammed my head back onto his chest and silently cursed myself.

"No, I don't have a girlfriend." He lifted his head off of mine, giving me a chance to look up into his emerald green eyes. "Besides, I'm right where I need to be."

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**Okay, that chapter was a little bit all over the place, but it's done! Anyway, review on the way out and I hope you enjoyed it. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! It makes me update faster and I love hearing from fans who either love or hate the story. To me, feedback is one of the most crucial things to writing. But until next time,**

**Stay Classy**


	6. New Beginnings and New Drama

Chapter 6: New Beginnings and New Drama

**AN: Well, it's been a while since I've updated either of my stories and I'm sincerely sorry for not doing so. My life just caught up with me and time started to fly by and before I knew it, practically half a year had passed by without me even thinking about this! I promise this will never happen, ever again. I really enjoy reading all of the reviews, about how this story is written and how different it is from the others, it really makes me feel all warm and bubbly inside. Okay enough rambling, enjoy the chapter!**

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When the boys left, a silence came over the room like a blanket. Bex was texting away on her phone, and I was just sitting there, flipping my phone in my hands.

"You know," Bex said, not looking up "your first official day is tomorrow, and you probably want to make the right impression. I can help you out ."

"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "You and your friends seemed like you guys were gonna make my life a living hell for a while." Oh wait, it already is.

"Sorry again about that, Macey always gives off that impression. She even feels guilty about how she treated you, wants to make it up somehow."

"What do you have in mind?"

Bex exhaled a large breath then spoke again. "Well, I guess you can say that her, Liz, and I control the school and can make or break your social life here. Lets just say we're gonna make it easy for you."

The next morning I woke up earlier then Bex, hoping to be able to get ready without any questions or strange looks from her. Heading into the bathroom, I did my daily assessment of myself. Before my parents were killed in the crash, I used to look at myself in a positive light; but now it seems to get darker by the day. Every single day, I see a girl I don't recognize. Yes, her hair and eyes are the same color as mine, but they lacked the shine and glow they used to have. Now this girl's face was sunken in and hollowed out, other then the big bags and dark circles that seemed to never leave their place under her eyes. Her collar bones jutted out like jagged rocks at the bottom of a cliff, along with her other limbs whose skin looked as if it lined only the bones themselves. I'm not intentionally starving myself to be skinny, it's just that since the fatal day nothing has any taste, it's all a distasteful mush.

Bex's alarm woke me from my trance, and I realized how much time I had actually taken up. Luckily, she slammed the off button and rolled over, giving me a little bit of time to get ready. I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face, and brushed through the tangles of my already pin straight hair. Not bothering with make up, nothing will help my face look normal, I rushed into our room and started to change when I heard Bex gasp.

I snapped my head around to see her staring down at my wrists, shit. I forgot to wrap them up after Zach took them off.

"Please don't tell anyone, I just want a fresh start here." I begged, quickly wrapping up my wrists and buttoning up my shirt.

"I'm not going to say anything or even ask how or why, you can do that when you're ready." She stood up and walked into the bathroom. Before she shut the door, she called out. "As long as Macey can come and do your make up, you have to make a good first impression."

I threw on my blazer and shoes then picked up my phone to shoot Zach a text.

**CODE RED: BEX SAW MY WRISTS!**

While pacing the room waiting for a reply, I heard a soft knock on the door and a female voice say, "Cammie, open up. Bex sent me over to help you out."

I opened the door and let her in, then went to go sit on my bed. "I want to apoligize for how I acted, it was toally out of line and rude for me to say. I'm sorry." Macey looked down at her hands, which were twisting with one another while waiting for me to respond.

"Just don't let it happen again, now don't go too crazy on me with the make up." My phone buzzed with a new text from Zach: **Whoa, you okay? I'll come in 20 to walk you to breakfast****  
**

Smiling, I snapped my phone shut and saw Macey coming back over to me, armed with enough make up for an army.

"Hold still, I really don't want to end up stabbing you in the eye." Macey held my chin still and got to working.

Twenty minutes later, Macey was finished and she held a mirror up to my face. Luckily, she didn't overload my face with make up, it looked very natural. My eyes were lightly lined with back eyeliner and mascara made my brown eyes look huge. She covered up the bags and dark circles under my eyes and used her magic to fill out my face. To top it off, she used a lip gloss that tied in my whole face.

"Holy shit," Bex said, coming over, "you look hot, Cam. Good work Macey." She gave her a pat on the back and they walked towards the door.

"You coming?" Macey cocked out her hip and put her hand on it.

"I'll be down there in a minute, Zach's coming to get me." I replied, adjusting my jacket.

They both shrugged and head out. I heard them say hi to Zach as he came into view at the door frame.

"You ready?" He asked, leaning against the door.

I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the room, him closing the door behind me. "Bex didn't say anything, she knew that I'll tell her in my own time."

"What about the others?" He stopped me and moved us over to the side of the hall so we wouldn't be trampled by starving students.

"Others?" I looked at him questionably.

"Macey, Liz, Grant, people like that."

"She said she wouldn't say anything to them either."

He breathed out a sigh of relief and we started walking again, only this time he threw his arm around my shoulder. "That's good, just make sure to watch out for Tina Walters. She's the school gossip. Anything she hears thats worth sharing the whole school will know within a few hours."

"Good to know, thanks for telling me." I smiled up at him and he smirked back down.

We made our way into the dining hall and sat down next to his friends, which luckily included Bex and Macey.

"I'm Liz by the way, and that's Jonas." A small girl next to Bex said. The guy whom I assumed Jonas was had his nose stuck in a book and he gave a little wave in my direction.

I chuckled and replied, "It's nice to meet you guys, sorry if we started off on the wrong foot yesterday at all, it's just been a hard adjustment coming here."

"It's alright, wanna get some breakfast with me?" She asked. I was about to answer but Zach beat me to it.

"I've got it Lizzie, you can go back to studying." He grabbed my hand and led me over to the food table, filled with stacks of unhealthy goodness.

Zach loaded up his plate and luckily only put a few things on mine. When we got back to the table, a girl came out of nowhere and shoved everyone, including a pissed off looking Zach, and sat down next to me.

"Hi there," She said too upbeat and cheerily. "I'm Tina Walters. I know everyone here except for you, so you must be the new girl who had that total meltdown in the hall yesterday."

I heard Zach mutter something like 'Shut up Tina' but I ignored it and replied to her instead. "Yeah, that's be, and the name's Cammie Morgan by the way. So you're the infamous Tina Walters."

Her face light up like she's seeing snow for the first time. " Infamous? How?"

"The school's gossip aka blabbermouth, duh." I smirked and saw Bex and Macey holding back laughs.

Tina's eyes narrowed to a glare as she spoke again. "So what's your story, huh? First a meltdown as soon as you get here and now you're suddenly sitting at the popular table? That's quite the turnaround."

I saw Macey and Liz sit there stunned and Bex started to stand up, luckily Grant pulled her down and started whispering calming things in her ear. They were so cute.

As much as I wanted to slap Tina in that moment, I managed to reply instead.

"You don't know my story, nor will you ever learn what it is. If I wanted to tell the school I'd do it myself, not let it get twisted a hundred times by some idiotic attention seeking gossiping girl. Got it? Now you're gonna get up and leave me alone for as long as I'm here, which unfortunately for you is probably gonna be a while."

Tina sat there dumbfounded, then stood up slowly and stoically and walked back to her table, glaring at me the entire time.

Bex applauded and said, "Way to go Cam, I'm impressed."

I smiled and said my thanks. Then started to slowly eat my breakfast. Zach had moved back over and slung his arm around my shoulders. "That was brilliant." He whispered in between bites. "Just amazing Cammie."

I took another bite of food to keep myself from smiling. And as much as I hate to admit it, I was starting to like this place.

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**It feels good to have that chappie finished. Don't worry, there's drama and romance planned for the near future, which also means I'm gonna be updating a lot more then normal! And before I forget, KATNISS AND THE CAREERS FOR ANYONE FREAKING OUT ABOUT THAT SHOULD BE UPDATED BY THE END OF THIS WEEKEND! I PROMISE! Please review on the way out, it's the best thing to do and it helps me update a lot faster which is good for everyone! So now, until next time,**

**Stay Classy**


	7. Ballroom Classes

Chapter 7: Ballroom Classes

**AN: Hey everyone! I hope you liked the last chapter. There was a lot less feedback than last time but it's completely understandable because of me going MIA for a while. Anyway, there's not much else to say except enjoy this chapter!**

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Just a mere three weeks after my arrival, it was announced that there was going to be a ball held for the upperclassmen of the school in the beginning of May. To me, it sounded like the prom, but that's where I was completely wrong.

It was literally like an old fashioned ball with the puffy dresses, choreographed dances, and the escorts. Not dates, escorts arranged in our our manners and etiquette class (**AN: I know it's not that in the book, but it is in here**). But of course, it's the boys that get to pick who they would like to escort to the formal affair. Naturally, Grant picked Bex and Jonas picked Liz. Jonas' roommate Nick picked Macey (whom seemed very happy about said boy's pick). Next up was Zach. I looked over to my right to see Tina readjusting her blouse to show more cleavage and start to bat her eyelashes at him, she could've put a sign saying PICK ME on her head and that would've been less obvious. To mine and everyone's surprise, he walked straight up to me.

Zach took both of my hands and his and looked deep into my eyes before asking, "Cammie Morgan, it would be my honor if you so let me escort you to this upcoming ball." He smiled after too, not a smirk or a fake one, a real genuine gorgeous smile.

I shook my head yes and let him lead me over to where all of our friends were, and leaving a fuming Tina behind. It was hard not to jump into his arms right at that second, which I'm pretty sure we both knew I was going to end up doing later on after class.

While the other boys were picking, Zach slid his arm around my waist and squeezed. I looked up at him and asked, "Why me, Zach? You could've picked any girl in the class but you chose me."

He whispered back softly, "Cause not any other girl in this whole entire school means anything to me as much as you do, Cam. You're the only girl I would ever pick for everything."

Over the past few weeks, I've grown close to everyone here; but Zach is by far the one I've grown the closest to. He has turned into my rock, being there for me and making me admit I have a problem. He's helped me stop the cutting and has actually helped me put on some weight, making me somewhat resemble a regular teenage girl. The one thing that I was keeping from him though was the fact that Josh kept on trying to contact me. Over text, leaving me voicemails, facebook messaging, or emailing. I managed to delete all of them without Zach, who was constantly by my side, seeing anything.

I smiled back up at Zach, "Thanks, for everything."

He opened his mouth to respond, but Mrs. Dabney clapper her hands together and silenced everyone. "Alright everyone, time to get dancing! Ladies, please take your partners arms and let them escort you to the floor."I slipped my arm through Zach's muscled one and followed him to the center of the room. "Now, gentlemen, place your left hand on her waist. Ladies, place your right hand on his shoulder and your left hand in his right one."

We did as instructed, then Zach finally spoke. "I need to tell you something."

By the way he was looking at me, it made me nervous. "Are you sure right now is the time to do so?"

He smirked then replied, "There's no time like the present."

Mrs. Dabney came over and pushed us closer until our chests were practically touching. Zach slid his hand to the small of my back when she wasn't looking and kept me firmly placed almost on his chest. "It's been going on for a while, but I just haven't figured out how to tell you this until now."

The music started and everyone started moving, almost gliding, in effortless circles. It took me a few minutes of watching everyone else to realize that Zach had yet to take his eyes off of me.

"You wanted to tell me something, Goode." I said, snapping him out of his trance.

"You can't freak out on me, okay?" When I nodded, he proceeded after taking a deep breath. "I'm falling for you Cam."

He tightened his hold on me, waiting for a response. "Zach..."

"One date, that's all I'm asking for." He searched my eyes, looking for an answer.

I sighed, trying to find the right words, "I like you too, but-"

"That's great, what's your but for then?"

"You're a player, Zach. I don't wanna be just another girl to you."

"You'll never be just another girl to me. Ever since you got here you're all that's been on my mind, I haven't even looked at another girl since. You've turned my world upside down, and I don't wanna go back." His eyes were so bright with hope that I couldn't bear to crush his hopes.

"One date, that's it." I said, smiling.

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**I'm sorry it's so short, but it had to be done. Leave a review on the way out so I can update faster for all of you guys! In the near future, the date is coming, plus the Josh confrontation. Keep reading and stick along with the story please! It's gonna get good I promise! And as always,**

**Stay Classy**


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